Felis Silvestris Catus or Felis Catus is the internationally renowned domesticated house cat. The animal that took our homes, minds, hearts, and eventually the Internet via only their infectious cuteness. In this article, I wanted to give an outline of the history of the domesticated feline in hopes of revealing their appeal. Why are they so welcome in our homes? Why are they the second most popular pet in the USA? Why did the Ancient Egyptians hold cats in such high esteem that even accidentally killing a cat would be punished via death?

The history of our cats begins around 10-15 million years ago, having evolved from the Near Eastern wildcat. However, it is theorized that most cats can trace their lineage to a single Ancient Egyptian cat. In fact, the Fertile Crescent is where cats truly took a foothold. After humans domesticated dogs and finally settled down in agricultural communities, the cat eventually was domesticated most likely via “accident."

The attraction of plentiful vermin within food stores meant that they could have an easier time hunting. Some theorize that cats were domesticated on purpose for this reason, however, animals like ferrets and terriers are superior at catching vermin, so this has been deemed unlikely.

Ancient Egyptians highly respected cats, even creating a goddess named Bastet and various cults connected to her. Other gods have connections to cats, for example, in the seventeenth chapter of The Book of the Dead the sun god Ra takes on the form of a cat called Mau (mau means “cat”) in order to defeat the serpent Apep saying, "I am the cat (Mau), who fought hard by the Persea tree in Annu on the night when the foes of Neb-er-tcher (a form of Osiris) were destroyed." It is doubtful that Apep’s adversary was a cat, considering his relation to snakes, another pest that plagued Egypt and cats were useful for disposing of.

Though cats began their journey within the Middle East, trade aided their invasion of the realm of humans. The well-regarded journal Nature revealed that cats travelled with the traders in Egypt to Eurasia and Africa, and possibly aided the Nordic Vikings in their many conquests.

Cats have been in the background, or in the case of the Egyptians, very much the foreground, of human history for years, trailing behind us and killing rats and mice. But if they aren’t even the best at this job, why are they so well liked? It turns out that this may lie in their anatomy, specifically the shape of their skulls. Shared characteristics between human infants and animal babies include large eyes, a round face, and a small plump body.

This has been called the baby schema: a set of characteristics that excites some intrinsic urge to take care of infants and this apparently extends to baby animals. A possible evolutionary benefit in this is ensuring the survival of humans, but it could also have provided an impetus to make connections with animals that could help us survive, like dogs and cats.

Companionship and its attraction to those who find social interactions with humans difficult or even downright impossible can appreciate the relatively low maintenance nature of the cat. Clean the litter, feed them twice a day, sometimes take them to the vet, and pet them (a mutually enjoyable activity) and that is just about it.

But the presence of a nonhuman who will not judge nor hinder you, whose only ambitions are to interact with you and stare out the window fantasizing about catching and killing prey, was irresistible and remains so to this day. A day of apathy is easily remedied by this fuzzy creature, and it is due to these reasons that the cat has remained an essential figure in the history of pets.